Grinnell College Top Questions

Grinnell is definitely small, and it definitely takes less than an hour of ambling in any given direction to hit cornfields. The college does a truly impressive job of bringing cultural activities to campus, however. Look at today's events on the campus calendar. Look at this week's. I couldn't hit all the interesting lectures, films, student groups, and concerts if I tried. Being a small campus does mean you can't get lost in the crowd. I'm a senior, and by now I know a goodly chunk of the students and profs by sight or hearsay. School pride is an interesting question. Most of us love Grinnell, but no one walks around painted red and black, and most people only follow the sports that their friends happen to play. There are no frats and sororities. On any given weekend you can find a dozen wild parties if you want that, and you can find a dozen substance-free gatherings if you don't. There's no pressure to pick a particular style of recreation.

If you'd like to have your liberal values reinforced, Grinnell is the place for you. If you'd rather form your own worldview, look for another college. Grinnell is very similar to fundamentalist Christian colleges in that anyone who has the audacity to challenge the liberal party line is ostracized and belittled. However, there is a small minority of moderate students, though they're often viewed as a foreign species.

The size is just right. I like the close interaction between students here. From time to time, I see the same people often enough to become good friends with them. But I also see enough new faces everyday (yes, everyday) to give me a fresh feeling. Most of my time is spent on campus since there is hardly anything to do in the city. There are three Asian restaurants and that's it. But don't get me wrong. There're plenty of things to do on-campus already. And you'll be surprised how busy Grinnell can keep you. The administration here is the worst part. I've heard so many complaints (and have encountered some disasters myself). One example is: tuition paycheck not recorded or mis-recorded so you end up with 300 dollars more in work study debt after paying $300 (yes, they debit your account instead of crediting it). I once locked myself out and had to call security to open the door for me. Even though I paid the 10 dollar fee, the guy who opened my door still shouted at me and slammed the door in my face after he opened it. Biggest recent controversy: hate crime. Somebody wrote on the door in Haines: God hates gay people. It reminds me that Grinnell is not as accepting as it is thought to be.

The best thing about Grinnell is definitely the classes. Although they are quite challenging, the teachers are more than willing to help with just about anything. If you want to learn a lot, you will. My least favorite part is that it is in the middle of Iowa. If you don't like snow or cold weather, simply put, don't come. At first, I was worried Grinnell was too small. After a year here, however, I have changed my mind. There are always new people to meet, and the small class sizes are really nice. When I tell people I go to Grinnell, they either have never heard of it, or they are very impressed. Most of my time on campus is spent at the athletic facilities or in my dorm. Me and 5 of my friends have a group draw, and we always hang out, study, and shoot the breeze together. The rest of the time, I am trying to forget about school and enjoy playing collegiate baseball. Grinnell is not really a college town. Pretty much anything that you would want to do, other than eating or going to Walmart, is done on campus. Also, the town is quite conservative while the campus is very liberal. Grinnell's administration is pretty awesome. Self governance means you can do pretty much anything you want, and it rarely gets abused. The biggest recent controversy on campus was a hate crime. THe queer community was insulted, and there was a huge outcry. As neither gay nor a gay hater, I was pretty indifferent about the whole situation. I just wish it would finally blow over. There is not a lot of school pride in athletics, but a lot in academics. Grinnell is a very liberal place in a very conservative surrounding area, which is kinda weird. You notice it once you step off campus and interact with the "townies." I will always remember my first test. It was in Chemistry, and I was unaware of just how challenging college was compared to high school. In a word, OUCH.

Grinnell has an outstanding academic reputation throughout the country, and one of the greatest alumni networking systems. Wherever I go in a Grinnell sweatshirt, people ask questions or mention that they know someone who went to Grinnell. Your opportunities and resources here are tremendous. There are a number of ways that you can accomplish an academic goal or a group activity through funding and school support.

Grinnell is a small college in the middle of Iowa. So the academics are quite hard but you do get a lot out of all the money you pay to go here. I had the opportunity to study abroad in a research program in the Netherlands. This was an excellent experience and I am getting a paper published in a chemistry journal. Most people do not know where Grinnell is, but the few that do know about Grinnell are very impressed that I am going here because it is such a good school. The best part about Grinnell is that the faculty is exceptional and know who you are, are able to adapt to your learning style, and will meet with you one on one if you request such. Recently, there was some problems with hate crimes, where certain people received mean letters based on sexual orientation. The response to this has been many talks and rallys speaking out against hate crimes, posters and buttons all over saying "we will not tolerate hate" and open discussions about touchy topics. Go Grinnell.